Interdisciplinary Studies: Honors

General Information:

The Honors Program of Emory College allows exceptionally talented students to pursue rigorous scholarly projects under the close supervision of a faculty sponsor. For most students who complete the Honors program, their project becomes their proudest achievement at Emory. In IDS, we encourage students to set their sights high and to challenge themselves as scholars and thinkers. To that end, there are two main components to the Honors program: a graduate seminar in any discipline approved by your advisor and by the IDS Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS)(fall semester, four credits ) and an independent research project (fall and spring semester, eight credits total).

In addition, there are a number of meetings and other events administered by the College for all Honors Students; you will receive information about this component after you enroll in the program, and you must abide by all College Honors regulations in order to remain in the program. The rest of this guide will address the particulars of the program for American Studies majors.

Eligibility:

Students with a 3.5 GPA at the end of junior year are eligible to enter the honors program. Such students should discuss their interest with the DUS in the spring of their Junior year.

Next Steps:

You amy receive credit for either one or two sections of IDS 495 (ie, in the fall and spring semesters). The choice is the students. In order to receive permission to enroll in IDS 495 (Honors Thesis) in the fall of their senior year, students will need to find a faculty member willing to sponsor their research. This sponsor must be willing to state that he or she will undertake the supervision of the project and feels that the student has proven he or she can write a paper of sufficient excellence to achieve the distinction of honors (this statement must be received by the drop/add period of the fall semester at the very latest). Students should thus begin seeking out faculty mentors and discussing tentative research plans in the spring of the Junior year (or even before they complete IDS 390, the tutorial that helps stduents develop a proper thesis/project prospectus). They should also consult with that sponsor, and with the DUS about a suitable graduate course to take in the fall semester (though in some rare cases, you may obtain permission to take the graduate course in the spring).

We cannot stress too strongly that a good working relationship with your faculty sponsor is the key to a successful honors experience. You should begin discussions with your faculty sponsor in the spring of junior year, and begin your background research in the summer after junior year if at all possible. In the fall, you should meet with your sponsor regularly to help you formulate your research questions in a manner that is both exciting and manageable. You will need to rely on his or her advice about scope, methods, feasibility, ethics, and many other matters entailed in original scholarship. You will also be exploring the traditions and possibilities of an IDS project/thesis in IDS 390.

By November 15, you must submit a written proposal for your project. It needs to include your major and corollary research questions, a review of the existing scholarship on the topic, a statement of the relationship of your ideas and arguments in relation that scholarship, the kind of evidence and sources you have located (or plan to generate), the methods or framework by which you will analyze and synthesize the evidence, and a timeline for completion of your research and writing. The exact length and format of your project will be worked out with your sponsor, but an honors thesis in IDS is generally 50-70 pages, including notes and bibliography.

At this time, you must also have ascertained the remaining members of your Honors Committee. You must have a total of three readers, one of whom must be formally affiliated with the ILA, and one of whom must be from an outside department or program. All of them must approve your proposal by the end of the fall semester.

In the Spring Semester, you will again enroll in IDS 495, which carries four credits, while you work on the final stages of your project. You should continue to meet with your main sponsor, usually weekly, and your other readers according to need. You need to complete a draft of your work by mid-March, so that your readers can comment on it and you can prepare a revised thesis to be defended in early to mid-April.

By mid-April, you must formally present and defend your thesis to your committee in a meeting. The committee will examine your knowledge of your research field and they will raise any remaining problems they see in the final thesis. They may ask you to make further revisions before submitting a final version to the College. It is at this meeting that your committee decides whether you have earned the distinction of Honors and in what degree (Honors, High Honors, or Highest Honors).

Requirements:

• Committee approval of the proposal by the end of fall semester of senior year

• Completion and successful defense of thesis by mid-April of senior year

• Completion of one graduate course with a grade of B or better

• Maintenance of a 3.5 GPA

• Registration for IDS 495 in either the spring or both fall and spring of Senior year (student's choice)

• Adherence to all College requirements for attendance at meetings, submission of thesis, etc.

Schedule:

• Spring of junior year: take IDS 390 and begin search for faculty mentor in consultation with the DUS

• Fall of Senior year: formulate research questions, review scholarship in the field, craft written proposal in close consultation with faculty sponsor. Form a reading committee.

• January-March of Senior Year: carry out research, write thesis

• April of Senior Year: Defend thesis and submit final version.